Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-01-12
A FAMILY RENAMED,
story of an Allegheny Man Who Lived for
Years in Ignorance of His Name.
IPiffs hnrr,h Comm nrci nj q znttn

In the Court of Common Pleas No Of
Allegheny County the names of Birdine
Blake Ray and Anna l.. Ray, his wife. were
changed TO Birdinc Blake Dunlap and Anna
l.. Dunlap. 1t was also ordered that the
last name of their two small children. Anna
Marion and Alice Adella, should be changed
from Ray to Dunlap.
This is the revival as well as the culmiEa-
ton of very romantic story. Mr. Dunlap,
who was Rays father, died by the tirae no
was born out in Bedford County, and few
months aftcrward, when he was but eleven
months old. his mother died also, leaving
three boys, himself and two older brothers,
Harry and e. f. Dunlap, which was his
fathers name. This happened in 1919, and
in the same year married man who had no
children, Mr.. r. s. Ray, applied to Mr. Biz
dine, Dunlap's relatives, for permission 10
adopt him, which they gave, and he was
brought up under the name Of Ray.
His adopted father moved away from his
family home, living part Of the time in Pitts
burgh, and he and his wife raised the boy
as their own son, and as he never heard
from his brothers nor knew of their exist
ence he grew up under the belief that his
adopted father and mother We're his real pa
rents. Finally his adopted mother died,
and shortly aftcrward his adopted father
love for his adopted boy was SO strong that
he had not the heart to tell him that he
was not his son. Mr.. Birdine Ray, nee
Dunlap, entercl the war aud fought all
through it. At the same time his two broth
ers were fighting in the same army, pos
sibly meeting daily and neither them nor
their brother being conscious of their re-
lationship. Mr.. 3 rhine Dunlap's brothers,
it is true, had heard of his going to the war,
but had also heard that he was lkillei. Aft
er the war they went back to their old
home, while Mr.. Dunlap came to Pitts
burgh. He lived here and married, having
two little girls aged thirteen and eleven
years respectively.
Last year n ruuor reached the ears of the
two brothers that their brother had not
been killed in the war, as they had been led
to believe, and they started out to trace
him. At length last spring they heard Of
his living in Pittsburgh, and came to this
city. One May day as Mr. Dunlap was liv-
ing quietly outat home on the hills, at the
head of Buena Vista street, Allegheny, in
walked his two ldngparted brothers, who
announced their relationship, which was
received, as may well be imagined, with
considerable incredulity by him. Finally
they convinced him of the mutual ties
which bound them together, to his bewildcr-
ment and establishment AT first his joy at
discovering some kindred when he thought
himself alone in the world was tempered
by sorrow at learning that his kind parents
were only relations by name.
At his newly-found brothers suggestion
he determined to take back his old family
name and discard his adopted name, so in
May he filed a petition in court in accord
ancc with the act of Legislature regarding
the changing of names, and his petition was
granted, and hcnccforth he will be known
Is member Of the Dunlap family